WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The cameo Luisangel Acuña made with the Mets last September didn’t just impact the team’s view of the infielder.
It also made a difference for Acuña.
As he battles to win one of the final spots on this year’s Opening Day roster, Acuña said he views himself in a new light compared to when he came up to the majors for the first time.
“The biggest difference for me is my confidence,” Acuña said through an interpreter at Clover Park. “Last year, I didn’t arrive with the same level of confidence. But after getting to know some of them and becoming more familiar with them from last year, I have a different belief in myself, a different confidence.”
More than that, though, the 23-year-old made an impression with the organization during his dozen games filling in for Francisco Lindor, when the shortstop went down with back soreness and the team didn’t miss a beat with Acuña.
Despite struggling at Triple-A Syracuse for much of the regular season, Acuña started 10 games at short, with the Mets in dire need of wins, and delivered.
Now, he’s got another chance to make an impact, this time because of an oblique injury to Jeff McNeil.
Instead of competing with Brett Baty, Donovan Walton and Luis De Los Santos for one backup role, there figures to be two spots open at this point, including regular playing time until McNeil gets healthy.
Acuña made a nice diving play to his left on a sharp grounder by Washington’s Nathaniel Lowe for an out in a 4-1 loss on Saturday.
The question the Mets will face if it comes down to a decision is whether Acuña is better suited to play every day at second in the majors or in a utility role if Baty wins the second base job.
A third possibility is Acuña playing every day in the minors to start the year.
“I just continue to play and work hard,” Acuña said. “That way I know I can control what I control and they’ll make a decision. I’m fine with any decision they make.”
Scouts continue to like Acuña’s upside, and he’s got more experience at second base than Baty, who only began playing the position a year ago at Syracuse.
Baty, a natural third baseman who has been converted into a utility-type player after losing the job at third to Mark Vientos last season, has had a solid spring and shown a good glove, as well as range, at second, but his throws sometimes have been off target.
Carlos Mendoza also noted the greater amount of responsibility second basemen have when it comes to decision-making around the field on each pitch than third basemen, which is a process Baty still is learning.
Acuña got off to a rough start offensively, opening Grapefruit League action by going 2-for-16 with no extra-base hits in his first seven games, but he entered Saturday with four hits in his previous 11 at-bats, including his first extra-base hit of the spring.
But he still didn’t have a walk.
Mendoza said he’d liked what he’d seen recently from Acuña, and even though he has just 14 games of major league experience, he’s more tested than most young players with that little amount of playing time.
“I think what we loved about him was his ability to defend the middle of the field incredibly well, which is what you desperately need when you are in a pennant chase,” senior VP of player development Andy Green said of Acuña this week. “And what he did with the bat was an extreme bonus.”
And Acuña expects that time to pay dividends this season.
“That gave me a lot of experience, playing in those types of games,” Acuña said. “When I do start playing here again, I won’t have the same type of nerves.”
